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STRAIGHT KNITTING MAGHINE- No. 500,953. Patented July'4, 1893.

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Patented-July 4, 1893.

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STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 500,953. Patgnted July 4, 1893.

(No Model.) 15 Sheets-Sheet 9.

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(No Model.) 15 Sheets-Sheet 10.

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No. 500,953. Patented July 4, 1893.

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STRAIGEFT KNITTING MACHINE. No. 500,953. 7 Patented July 4, 18.93.

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15 Sheets-Sheet 15.

STRAIGHT'KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented July 4, 1893.

9\ I 4. iwamm l 7 f UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM TERTIUS ROWLETT, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

STRAIGHT-KNITTING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,953, dated July 4, 1893.

Application filed July 11, 1892. Serial ITO-439,637. (N0 model.) Patented in England August 1. 1891, No. 13,126, and in France June 30,1892, No. 222,711.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM TERTIUS ROWLETT, yarn merchant, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 34 Newarke Street, Leicester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straight-Knitting Machines, (for which I have received Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 13,126, dated August 1, 1891, and in France, No. 222,711, dated June 30, 1892,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to latch needle knitting machines formed with two parallel needle beds either straight or curved and adapted to produce tubular work as in the Lamb knitting machines. When making tubular work on such machines a course of work is first made along the needles of one bed and then with the same thread a course of work is produced along the needles of the other andso on, as is well understood. Machines of this kindhave also before been constructed in such a manner that the down-throw cams used for lowering the needles bring the needles too low for them to be again raised by the up-throw cam, unless they have been previously raised a distance by the action of Jacquard cards brought against them. No fashionings could be produced automatically on such machines without small holes being left in the work wherever the widenin gs were made.

The main object of my invention is so to construct such machines that fashioned work may be automatically produced upon them without holes being left in the work at the points where the widenings are made.

Whenever a widening is to be made, a new needle is brought up into working position at the end of one row or the other of needles previously in work. ln order that a hole may not be produced in the work by the bringing in of this needle, I, according to my invention,cause the last sinker loop of the work on the opposite row of needles to be stretched or placed automatically on this needle before any work is made, upon it. I do this by making one of the needle beds capable of being shifted endwise to and fro a short distance and by then causing the needlewhich is to be brought into work to come forward and take .chine.

the loop at the proper time, as illustrated by the diagrams A, B, O. The action is illustrated in the diagram perspective views A, B, O, D, E, as seen from the front of the ma- Diagrams A and B show how tubular. work is made in the ordinary way, a course of work being first pr'oduced upon one bed of needles A, and then with the same thread a course of .work on the other bed of needles A, and so on. Diagram A, shows work being produced upon a few of the back needles and B, shows work being produced on a few of the front needles. Diagrams O, D and E, show how a widening is made without allowing any hole to be formed in the work. Diagram 0, shows the back bed A shogged to the right and the needle a which is to be brought into work, raised between the last two needles of the bed A, which have work upon them. Diagram D shows how the needle a has thus been made to take the sinker loop between these last two needles. Diagram E shows the next course of work upon the front bed just being com- ,menced. Diagram F shows how the cams raise and subsequently lower only such needles as have been previously raised a short distance by the action of the jacquard. The dots represent projections on the needle stems which the cams act upon. Dais the up-throw cam and Dc a down-throw cam. The needles 5 to 10 are shown to have been raised ashort distance by the jacquard so that when the cams Do, Do travel to the right, they get farther raised by theup-throw cam Do and then subsequently lowered by the down-throw cam Do to such a position that they cannot subsequently be acted on by the up-throw cam when it moves in the opposite direction unless they are first again slightly raised by the action of the jacquard.

In Figures 1 to 16 Ihave shown my invention applied to what is known as aLamb machine which has two straight needle beds and is so constructed that either apiece of ribbed work or a tubular fabric of plain work can be produced upon it. Fig. 1 the right and left hand halves of which are shown on Sheets 1 and 2 is a sideelevation partly in section of the machine. Fig. 1 is an edge View of cam M Fig. 2 the two halves of which are shown on Sheets 3 and 4 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the screws G and the spindles which carry them. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on a larger scale of the needle beds and the cams and Jacquard barrels which operate the needle. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of part of bar G and bolt II, as well as the slide G and incline G", and Fig. 3 is a side view of the inclines Gd. Fig. 4 is a right hand end view. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of some of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 4, 4 4 and 4 show the way in which the splicing thread is broken or allowed to pass into the work with the other thread. Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the ratchet wheels and pawls by which the Jacquard bar rels are turned and the ratchet wheel and pawlsused for turning the screw shaftby which the position ofthe stops used for limiting the throw of the thread carrier is controlled. Fig. 5 is an under side view partly in section. of a portion of what is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a transverse section showing the parts used for putting the pawls which turn the Jacquard barrels in or out of action. Fig. 7 shows a top view and an end view of the cam used for shogging the movable needle bed to and fro. Fig. 8 is a cross section of the machine showing the form of the frame and the supports for the reciprocating frame by which the cam boxes are carried. Fig. 9 is an under side view of one of the sets of cams. 10 is a face view of one of the slides by which the downthrow cams are put in and out of action. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the cams and of a portion of the frame Q by which they are carried. Fig. 12 is a plan View of the two downthrow cams and of the two bars by which these cams are raised and lowered to produce slack and tight courses. Figs. 13 and 14 are vertical sections of what is shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 15 is a transverse section showing control cams and sliding stops at the left hand end of machine for controlling the stiffening of the work. Fig. 16 is a plan of part of the same.

In Figs. 1 to 16, Z is the main driving shaft which by crank pin Z connecting rod Z and lever Z whose fulcrum pin can rise and fall gives a to and fro horizontal motion to a horizontal frame Q.

A is the front needle bed and A the back needle bed Which is capable of being shogged endwise.

B are the needles of the front bed and B the needles of the back bed.

C are the web holders of the front bed and C the web holders of the back bed.

D is a plate carrying the cams of the front bed and D a plate carrying the cams of the back bed. These are bolted to short arms that stand out from the opposite side bars of the frame Q.

All variations of the letter D refer to various working parts of the cams.

G is the thread carrier carried bya slide G" Fig.

which can be slid to and fro along a fixed bar G.

G is a spring carrying a splicing thread.

G is a lever for cutting 0E and releasing the splicing thread.

H is a spring actuated bolt carried by the frame Q. It is pressed downward by a spring so that its lower end may engage with projections which standcup from the slide G and carry the slide along with it until the bolt is raised and put out of action by inclines G (see Figs. 2 and 8).

K K K K are parts for shogging the back needle bed A.

L is the Jacquard barrel working with the front bed and L the barrel workingwith the back bed. M denotes barrels with pattern chains for controlling the working of all the parts.

Various views of the cams used for raising and lowering the needles are shown at Figs. 9 to 14.

Da is the upthrow cam secured rigidly to the plate D which as before stated and as is shown at Figs. 3 and 11 is bolted to the frame Q.

D D are plates hinged by the joint pin D to the plate D one on either side of it. Each plate carries a downthrow cam one marked Db and the other marked Dc.

D is a bar which by screws Dlc is held to the end of the plate D the screws passing through slots so that the bar can be slid a dis tance endwise to and fro. In it are two slots inclined in opposite directions. Into one enters a pin Dj which projects out from one plate D and into the other enters a pin Dj which projects out from the other plate. In this way when the bar is moved endwise one plate is raised and the downthrow cam car ried by it put out of action while the other plate is lowered and the downthrow cam carried by it brought into action. This endwise to and fro motion is given to the bar Die by fixed stops Dn; (see Fig. 8 Sheet S) against which the ends of the bar strike at the end of each movement of the main slide Q. In this way the downthrow or stitch cam which was in action when the slide Q was moving in one direction is put out of action before the slide commences to move in the opposite and the other downthrow cam is brought into acting position. As will be seen by Fig. 9 the downthrow cams extend downward some distance beyond the bottom of the upthrow cam so that when the needles have been lowered by either of the downthrow cams they cannot be caught by the upthrow cam without being previously raised a distance.

The raising of the needles into a position for them to be caught by the upthrow cams is effected by Jacquard cards supported on Jacquard barrels L, L. If when a card is brought against the needles there are holes in it opposite to the ends of any of the needles then those needles remain unraised by the card and are not caught by the upthrow cam but the othersare raised to a sufficient the back of the bar projects a pin L height for the upthrow cam to act upon and further raise them.

The axes of the Jacquard barrels are supported by bars L whichcan be slid up and down'in guide grooves formed in the fixed frame at the back of the needle beds.

See right hand half of. Fig. 1. This enters slots L cut in two of the plates Lb, Lb, L12 and L12 there being two of these plates situated at the back of each needle bed. When one of the two plates is struck endwise in one direction the Jacquard barrel will be drawn upward toward the lower ends of the needle stems and when the plate moves in the opposite direction the barrel is moved away from them. Normally the Jacquard barrels are on the sliding frame Q are used. When by L11 or Lb or not come against them.

the movement of the sliding frame Q, one of the stops is brought against one of the bars,

the bar is moved endwise and the J acquard barrel is raised. When the frame Q, is moved in the opposite direction, the Jacquard barrel is drawn back from the needles by its own weight and carries the bar back to its former position.

cause when P moves toward the end of the bar-Lb, the next course of work to be made is always upon the front needles whatever part of a stocking is being made, whether the ,toe or heelor leg; the front Jacquard barrel,

therefore must at this time always be raised against the front needles; the others can. be slid inward or outward a short distancein guides on the frame so that they may either come against the ends of the bars Lb,

If tubular work is being made and the frame Q, is being moved in a direction to bring P against the bar Lb, the front Jacquard barrel is raised and the next course is made along the front needles; during this next coursev P comes against L12 and lifts the back J acquard barrel and the next course is made along the back needles; theother stops P P are kept out of action. .is to be made, say when a course of work is When a widening other of the bars L29 Lb being then struck.

by one or other ofthe stops P P The Jae ,quard card thenbrought up to the back needles by the back barrel is so piercedthat only the new needle which is to be brought into work is raised into position to be caught by the up- One stop P is fixed to the frame Q as it is-always required to be in action bethrow cam and consequently at the end of the course it isonly this needle of the back needle bed which takes the thread laid on to the front needles. When work is to be made on the front bed of needles, only, as for ex-' ample when making the heel, both of the stops P ,P are kept out of action, so that the back Jacquard barrel remains down and out of action.

trolled by inclines on three slides Pa P01. Pa

which can be slid transversely of the machine along horizontal arms P P fixed to the frame of the machine. They can be slidupward by the action of cams O O O and are drawn inward by the action of springs as shown in I Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be seen that the cam 0 difiers in shape from the cams 0 0 This is so that when the two latter have thrown the stops Pa from the needles they are turned a distance.

by pawls Ld Ld acting on ratchet wheels Lo Lo fixed on the axes of the barrels. If however the pawls be held up out of the way of the ratchet wheels then the barrels remain unturned.

In making a straight tube continuously of ,the same width as for the straight portions of a stocking it is obvious that the samecards .on the jacquard may operate every time so as to bring the same number of needles into action. This is done by causingthe pawlsto be lifted out of action. The pawls are on the ends of spindles LaLa passing through the spindles carrying the cams which control the stiffening of the work. At the other ends of the spindles are two arms Lf Lf which are raised by the action of two cams Lg Lg (see Fig. 6) turned bya large cog wheel Lh half of which is'cut away to allow of thecams being shown.- The cog wheel hasa partial turn givento it at the proper time by studs Lh on a pattern chain M carried by the barrel M. The pawls are put out of work by being raised by the action of springs or weights-and when they are to be brought into work they are held down by the action of cams Lg, Lg.

The earns 00 0 have a quarter turn given to them at the proper times bythe action of pins on a pattern chain in thefollowing manner: On the shafts which carry the cams are pinions O which gear with a toothed wheel N. onasleeve N on which is alsoawheel N having larger teeth. In Fig. 4 half this wheel is cut away to show the toothed wheel Nbehind it. M is an endless-pattern chain pass-v ing around a barrel M to which a step by step revolving motion is given. M is astud on the The movement of the stops P P P is conpattern chain. When the chain is moved and a stud M comes against one of the teeth of the wheel N it turns this wheel a distance of one tooth. The step by step revolving motion is given to the barrel M by a worm wheel M on its axis having gearing with ita worm engage with the worm wheel they give to it a quick partial turn.

In making the two first rib courses at the toe of the stocking and also on the side wherever a new needle is brought into work it is desirable to make the fabric stiffer. Provision is therefore made for automatically setting the downthrow or stitch cams higher or lower according to the length of loop that is to be drawn down by the needles. This is donein the following manner: The cam Db is pressed upward by a spring Dd against a wedge Dd which itself rests against a fixed corresponding wedge Df. By moving the wedge Dd toward the wedge Df the cam Db is set lower while by drawing it back it is allowed to be raised by the spring Dd To move the wedge Dd to and fro it is connected by pins D with a bar marked at its two ends Dd, D d at the back of the plate D so that when the bar D d, D d, is moved endwise the wedge Dd goes with it. Slotsin the plate allow the pins D to move freely. The wedge De is similarly secured toabar marked De, D e and the above arrangement is duplicated for the cam Do on the left hand side of Fig. 9. The spring and some of the other details are not shown on this side of the figure.

At each end of the machine are stops E E E E see Figs. 2, 15 and 16 having projecting pieces. A plan view of E E is shown in Fig. 16. \Vhen the main slide reaches the end of its throw say from leftto right the projecting pieces on the stops E and Etouch for example D d and D d respectively and change them from their previous positions if they were not already in the positions into which the stops would move them.

The stops are carried by slides which can be slid to and fro transversely of the machine along horizontal arms P P fixed to the frame of the machine. They can he slid outward by the action of cams F. E and are drawn inward by the action of springs in a similar manner to the slides Pa, Pct Pa The cams also have motion given to them from a shaft which has a step by step revolving motion transmitted to it at the proper time in the same way as described with respect to the cams O O. The cams E E are on hollow spindles which surround the spindles La, La. They are turned at the proper time by pinions E (see right-handhalf of Fig. 1), gearing into a toothed wheel E on the axis of which is awheel E having larger teeth. On the pattern chain M are studs E. WVhen by the movement of the endless chain one of these studs F. engages with the teeth of the wheel F. and gives a partial turn to this wheel a quarter turn is given to the cams E E and the down-throw cams are set to make either tighter or slacker courses according to the previous position of these cams.-

In order to keep the work down while the needles are being pushed up by the jacquard, I have a row of hooks O and C (see Fig. 3) attached to each knocking over bar 0 When the course is being made, these hooks are in the position shown at O so that the sinker loops lie over their stems. Before or just as the Jacquard barrels raise the needles the hooks O, C are lowered so as to hold the loops down while the needles are raised. They are lowered by inclines (3d or Od (see Figs. 3 and 3 fixed on the cam plates D, D. Toward the end of each course the inclines come above the ends of the rods Ca, which stand up from the bars by which the hooks O C are carried and thereby lower and hold down the hooks. Afterward when the cam plates D, D are made to travel back in the opposite direction, the inclines are moved away from above the rods Cd, and the hooks O, O are drawn upward by the action of springs 06, (see Fig. 3). In the drawings, Fig. 3 both of the rods Ca are shown as being held down by the inclines Cd, Cd, but one of the knocking over hooks is left up to illustrate its two positions.

The thread carrier G is carried by the arm G from a slide G which can be slidden along the fixed bar G by the bolt H which is held down by a spring. On the bar G are also two slides G each carrying an incline G. The slides can be moved nearer to or farther away from one another by screws G on concentric axes see Fig. 2 One screw acts on one slide and the other screw on the other. One axis has upon it two ratchet wheels G13 the teeth of which are in opposite directions. The other axis has also upon it two similar ratchet wheels G The pawls for driving these wheels are carried by four levers F which turn on a fulcrum at F the other ends of these levers have pins F projecting from them which are acted on or left at rest by the Jacquard cards whenever the jacquard is moved up to the needles.

IIO

In Fig. 5, the Jacquard barrels are shown I in their raised position; one lever F, (the front one,) is shown to have been acted upon by the jacquard, the other, (the back one) remaining out of action, there being a hole in the Jacquard card opposite to its pin F. The pawls are pressed toward the ratchet wheels by springs F The levers are drawn upward by coiled springs F attached to a portion of the frame-work of the machine. Each pawl is formed with a tailpiece F When the Jacquard barrel descends the levers F previously acted upon by it are drawn upward by their coiled springs F, and the tail pieces F of their pawls strike against a fixed bar F and so disengage the pawls from the wheels. The bar F is an extension from an arm F that stands up from theportion of the framing that carries the bearings for the axes of the ratchet wheels. The splicing thread is carried on the front of the thread carrier, and passing down through G, with the foundation thread, is carried by it to the needles. It passes first through a hole in a spring G, see Figs. 4, 4 43, 4, and 4? and when free passes in continually with the main thread, but by turning the T shaped piece G so as to press upon the spring, the thread is broken, and when desired to run it in again, this piece G is pushed aside-so as to free it. This enables the splicing thread to beeither run in continually or to .be broken off at the end of the course on one bed.

To actuate the T-shaped piece G I have a series of stops on the circumference of two wheels, carried on two arms G 5, which stand up from the slides G which carry the inclines G for regulating the throw of the thread carrier. When G is vertical, the splicing thread is broken. When G2 is inclined in either direction, the thread is free and passes into work with the other thread. If the splicing.

thread is not to be inserted either when a course is being made from right to left or vice versa, then both stop wheels G are in the position shown at Fig. 4 and G remains in a vertical position. If a splicing thread is to be inserted in courses made from left to right, then the left-hand stop wheel G is turned into the position shown in Fig. 43*, so that the left hand end of G comes against one of the longer projections of G. If, on the other hand, a splicing thread is to be inserted in courses made from right to left, the righthand end of G comes against one of the longer projections of the right hand wheel G The wheels-G are turned into the positions required for making these changes by a ratchet wheel G on the axis which carries them, it being acted on by a pawl G which at its lower end is jointed to an arm K which can turn freely around the axis of the arm K, while its upper end is bya spring Ga, (shown in Fig. 4) held against the ratchet wheel G When the arm is acted upon by a pin M on the chain M the pawl is raised and gives a partial turn to the ratchet wheel. When the pin passes from below the arm, the arm and pawl descend by their own weight. A feather projecting inward from the boss of each wheel G enters a groove f (see Fig.2) formed along the shaft that carries them, so that these wheels may be moved toward or away from one another and yet always be turned by the shaft.

t For shogging the movable needle bed, I fix to the right hand end of it a short rackK the teeth of which fit into zigzag cam grooves K,

formed around a cylinder to which a step by step revolving motion is given at the proper times. When the cam revolves, it moves the bed first to the left, then has a straight place and stands still. Afterward it moves it back again, and stands still again. The cam is shown at K and the motion is given by the lever K, acting upon a ratchet K on the axis K of the cam K and actuated by a stud M on the chain M In order fully to show-the working of the machine, I will proceed to describe the mode of making a fashioned stocking by widening, and commencing at the toe. I first make two ribbed courses, of any desired width, by lifting the required numberof needles up at both sides through the jacquards L and L. They are then raised sufficiently high to catch the thread from the thread carrier G, and brought down again by the stitch cam Db and the corresponding one on the opposite bed. After these two ribbed courses, I make one plain course on eachside, which is done by the jacquard acting alternately on each side so making a tube. I then shog the back needle bed the distance of two needles to one side say to the right by means of K K,.K K so as to leave two needles more at one end of each bed than at the corresponding end of the other, so that if making ribbed work, there would be a needle wanting, say, at the right hand end of the front bed, and at the left hand endof the back bed. I now work a course from left toright on the back bed, and on the front bed bring up only one needle a to fill up the vacant space. This needle having no loop on it, lies between the two outer needles of the opposite bed, in such a manner, that the yarn between them, generally known as the sinker loop, is laid over the emptyneedle. See Diagrams C, D, and E. I next make a course on the front bed when the thread being caught by the front row of needles, is worked into the sinkerloop lying round the new needle, thus filling up what would have otherwise been a hole, and widening the fabric by one needle. During the making of this course, a single needle a? has been raised at the left hand end of the back bed so as to bring another needle into action in the'way already described. A plain course is now made on both beds, and the back bed then shogged two'needles to the left so as to repeat the operation of widening. This is continued aslong as necessary to attain the width desired for the toe, after which a number of plain courses are made until the gusset is reached. The necessary number of widenings are then made in a similarmanner to that above described and afterward the heel is made by working backward and forward on the front bed only and on a varying number of needles, so as to produce whatis known as the Griswold heel. Then follow a number of plain courses on each sideto make a plain tube until the calf when the work is again widened and afterward a plain tube of fullwidth,completes the stocking. In this way I obtain a properly shaped foot narrower than the leg.and the leg also properly fashioned, By the splicing mechanism herein; 

